Elevator safety system.



G. S. WILLIAMSON.

ELEVATOR SAFETY SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1914.

30 O a a? Q 1 L b33339 5/ 9,3 29 0 F5 0 O Patented Feb. 29, 91

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFI GLENN S. WILLIAMSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGNOR T0 SHURLOC ELEVATOR SAFETY 00., INC., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

ELEVATOR SAFETY SYSTEM.

Application filed March 12, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. GLENN S. lVILLIAM- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ElevatorSafety Systems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elevator safetysystems, and its object is toprovide means for illuminating the contiguous portions of the car andlanding floors when the car is at a landing, the same being dependentupon the operation or control of the corresponding landing door, whichopens and closes the doorway into the shaft; and also to combine suchsafety illuminating means with automatic car-locking mechanism and ameans of control common to both.

More specifically, the invention comprises a floor-light for carscontrolled after the manner of and preferably in conjunction with acar-locking mechanism in which the car may be locked at a landing eitherby locking the controller handle in inoperative position or breaking thecar-operating circuit, or both.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of theinvention, it being understood that numerous other specificconstructions not illustrated may be devised for carrying the inventioninto effeet.

In these views: Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustratingmy invention, the car being shown at a landing; Fig. 2 is a sectionalplan view of parts mounted at the landing; Fig. 3 is a similar viewshowing these parts in a changed position; and Fig. 4 is a detailsection enlarged plan view illustrating a form of device which may beemployed for controlling the floor-light circuit.

An elevator car is indicated at 10, and 11 is a door to the shaft at oneof the landings. The controller 12 in the car may be of any suitable orapproved character, and as will be understood, in elevators driven byelectric power, has circuit-controlling provisions whereby the car maybe started and stopped and run in eitherdirection. I also provide thecarv with mechanism, indicated generally by the reference character C,for rendering the controller inoperative and for operating thefloor-light hereinafter re- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29,1915.

Serial in. 824,121.

ferred to. My invention is not necessarily limited to the specificcharacter or mode of operation of this mechanism, and naturally theselection of an appropriate train of parts is within the province of theskilled mechanic. The mechanism may render the controller inoperative bylocking it in neutral position, or by breaking or otherwise afiectingthe condition of a circuit, such that it would be impossible to startthe car by the controller even if the latter could be moved. I prefer,however, to do both.

Briefly describing the specific car mechanism illustrated, 13 is a slidebar, appropriately mounted and guided beneath the floor of the car, 14is a circuit-breaker having a projecting arm 15 in the path of aprojection 16 on said bar, 17 is a rock-shaft having an arm 18 engagedby the slide bar, and 19 is a locking rod pivoted to another arm 30 onsaid rock-shaft and extending upward through a guide tube 21 inside thecasing of the controller. The upper end of this rod is normally out ofoperative relation to a notched part 22 on the controller lever, butwhen the slide-bar is moved rearward the consequent rocking of the shaftraises the locking rod into engagement with or into the path of saidnotched part. Inclined portions or ways lead to the notch so as to guidethe rod into the notch and thus permit the lever to be locked.

The contacting part 23, preferably in the form of a vertical shoe havingcurved ends, is carried by the forward end of the slide bar 13, beingthereby connected with or forming part of the car mechanism C. Thiscontacting part is adapted to cooperate with other contacting parts 24at the several landings, for the purpose of coordinating the carmechanism with the shaft gates or gate locks. In the particularembodiment shown the car mechanism cooperates with the lending doorlocks.

The locking device installed in connection with the shaft gate at eachlanding is designated generally by the reference character L. Theconstruction of and the specific manner of operating this device may bevaried. I have illustrated and prefer a very simple construction,wherein the lock 29 for the gate and the contacting part 24 areconstituted in one movable element, preferably a slide or plungeroperating in a guide recess in a suitable base plate, casing or support45. As shown this slide operates transversely of the shaft gate, one endforming the contacting part 24 and the other end being adapted to occupya position behind the gate so as to lock the same closed. For purposesof adjustment the contacting part 24 is preferably screwed to the bodyof the slide, a lock nut 26 being provided to hold the adjustment.

The lock, and the therewith connected contacting part 24, are operatedautomatically upon the gate being completely closed. To this end aspring 27 and detent 28 are provided. The spring urges the bolt of thelock toward locking position, and the detent automatically engages thebolt (or a connected part) when the bolt is withdrawn, and holds it andthe contacting part 24 in this condition against the tension of theprevent the latter from moving freely. The

door, if open, also acts to keep the bolt and contacting member 23 inactuated position should the detent become disengaged. The gate in thelast portion of its closing movement, after its rear edge has passed thelocking bolt, disengages the detent, so that the bolt is free to shootinto locking position behind the gate, this same movement restoring thecontacting part 24 to normal position. The construction and arrangementof the detent may, of course, be varied. As. shown it is slidable in aguide recess in the base plate'transversely to the locking slide 29,which is provided with a recess 30 in its side positioned to be engagedby the end of the detent when the lock is withdrawn. A spring 31 pressesagainst the detent to urge it into engagement with the slide, and a pin32 projecting upward from the detent enables it to be released at theproper moment by a pin 33 projecting from the door. A cover plate, whichprotects and holds the slide and detent in place, has been omitted fromthe drawings for clearness of illustration.

Vhen the car is brought to a landing the contacting parts 23, 24 areopposite each other, though not necessarily in contact. The carmechanism and the shaft door lock are thus coordinated, and brought intoreciprocal relation, so that movement of one will cause movement of theother. The nature, location, and manner of connecting the operatingmeans wherewith the operator withdraws the bolt of the door lock andactuates the car mechanism may be varied, but in the present embodimentof the invention such means is located at each landing, and, as shown,includes the slide rod 34 on the shaft door. This rod is pivotallyconnected at one end with an arm on a vertical shaft 35 carried by thedoor adjacent its rear edge; and at the lower end of this shaft is anarm 36, which when the rod 34 is slid to the right presses forwardagainst the upstanding portion 37 on the slide 29, thus moving thelatter against the tension of its spring so as to withdraw the lockingportion 29, thereby permitting the gate to be opened by the operatorcontinuing to push to the right on the rod 34. A spring 39 is providedfor restoring the slide rod 34, the shaft 35 and the arm 36 to normalpositions with relation to the door.

It will thus be seen that in the particular embodiment of the inventionillustrated, the effort of the car operator is applied first to theshaft door lock to withdraw the same, and this effort is transmitted tothe car mechanism through the thrust of the contacting member 24 againstthe contacting member 23. As long as the door is open and until it isentirely closed and re-locked, the parts remain in this condition, thatis to say, with the door lock withdrawn and the controller in the carrendered inoperative. But, when the door has been entirely closed, andthe detent 28 has been thereby disengaged from the slide 29, the latteris restored to gate-locking position by means of its spring; and, thecar mechanism being no longer held by the contacting member 24, is freeto return to normal position. It will be obvious that the slide 29 inits return movement might be caused to positively restore the carmechanism, or the weight of the locking rod 19 or its equivalent aspring may be relied upon to return the carried parts to the positionsshownin Fig. 1.

It will be observed that in the embodiment of the invention shown theoperating means for releasing the shaft door lock and actuating the carmechanism is distinct from the controller lever, and, furthermore, it isnot necessary to bring the controller lever to neutral position in orderto operate its locking mechanism. To thisend, as more particularlydisclosed in Fig. l of the drawings referred to, the locking rod isconnected with the car contacting member in a yieldingly manner, forexample by mounting the arm 20 loosely on the rock-shaft 1'7 and connecting them by a spring .39, while the notched part 22 on the controllever has cam or inclined surfaces at opposite sides of the notch, sothat if the rod is thrust upward when the controller is not in neutralmidposition, it can latch into the notch when thecontroller is broughtinto such position. Manifestly, however, this may be otherwise.

The electric floorlight in the car is designated 50. It is preferablydisposed near the floor and at the sideor sides of the car and asindicated is located at the right-hand side of the car doorway or thecontroller side of the car, and is provided with a suit able reflectoror light-directing means, so

that when the lamp is lighted its rays clearly illuminate the car floorand landing at opposite sides of the gap. The particular style of lampemployed is not essential. Either an incandescent or a vapor lamp may beused. It is included in a suitable electric circuit, preferably a shuntof the regular car-lighting circuit, for which reason a cable comprisingwires 51 and is shown leading downward from the upper part of the car.The wire 51 goes direct to one terminal of the lamp, while the wire 52is interrupted, one portion being connected to a terminal 53 and theother portion being connected to a terminal 54 and to the other lampterminal. The terminals 53 and 54 are mounted in a suitable support 55,where they are suitably insulated from each other. Electrical connectionbetween these terminals may be established by a conducting plate orstrip 56 on the side of a rearward extension 13 of the slide bar 13 ofthe car shoe Q3. Normally, however, the end of the terminal rests on ablock of insulation 57 on said extension 13 abutting the plate 56 andhaving its outer face flush therewith. The terminals 53, 54 areyieldingly pressed forward, as by springs 58, so as to insure agoodcontact.

In general, any suitable form of circuit making and breakingdeviceconnected with the car mechanism in such manner as to open and close thelamp circuit at proper times may be employed.

In the condition illustrated in Fig. 1, the floor lamp is not lighted,the shaft door is still locked, and the controller is still operative tocause the car to rise or descend. As soon, however, as the operatorunlocks the shaft door by sliding the rod 34 to the right, the caroperating circuit is interrupted at 14, the controller locking rod 19 isbrought into locking position, and, simultaneously, the rearwardmovement of the extension 13 causes the contact portion 56 to connectthe terminals 53 and 54, whereupon the floorlamp is illuminated, andcontinues to throw its rays upon the region where passengers must stepinto and out of the car, as long as the gate is open and until it isrelocked and as long as the car controller is locked.

While I have shown and described a suitable and preferred embodiment ofmy invention, I wish it to be understood that numerous changes andreversals may be made without departing from its scope.

IVhat I claim as new is- 1. In a safety illuminating system forelevators, the combination with an elevator shaft door and a locktherefor, of a floorlight in the elevator car, a circuit for saidfloor-light including a circuit closer on the car, and a train ofmechanical connections between said lock for the shaft door and thecircuit closer, which connections are partly on the car and partly atthe landing, whereby said circuit closer .is operated simultaneouslywith the unlocking of the door and the light remains lighted until theshaft door is relocked.

2. In a safety illuminating system for elevators, the combination withan elevator shaft door, and a lock therefor, of a lighting circuitincluding a floor light and a circuit closer both on the car, means forunlocking the elevator shaft door, and mechanical connections wherebysaid means also operates said circuit closer.

3. In a safety illuminating system for elevators, the combination withan elevator shaft having a landing, of an elevator car having acontroller, a lock for said controller, a lighting circuit including afloor-light and a circuit closer both on the car, and a train ofmechanical connections'mounted in part at the landing and in part on thecar and connected both with the controller lock and said circuit closer.

4. In a safety illuminating system for elevators, the combination of anelevator car having a controller, a lock for said controller, a lightingcircuit including a floorlight and a circuit closer both on the car, andoperating connections including a shoe carried by the car and linksconnecting said shoe with the controller lock and circuit closer.

5. In a safety illuminating system for elevators, the combination withan elevator car and a shaft door, of a lighting circuit including afloor-light in said car, a lock for said door, a manual member on saiddoor for unlocking said lock, and connections located in part at thelanding and in part on the car for closing said circuit to cause thesaid light to illuminate the floor by means of the operation of saidmanual operating member.

6. In a safety illuminating system for elevators, the combination withan elevator car, a floor-light therein, an electric circuit for saidlight, and a circuit-controlling device on the car, of an elevator shaftdoor, a looking device therefor, and cooperative contacting members onthe car and landing connected with said circuit-controlling device andlocking device respectively, whereby said light is made luminous whensaid shaft door, a bolt for locking the same closed, and a contactingmember at the landing connected with said bolt so as to move when thelatter is moved to permit the door to be opened, of a floor-light in theelevator car, a circuit therefor, a making and breaking device for saidcircuit, a contacting member on the car connected With said circuitmaking and'breaking device and adapted to occupy an operative positionrelative to the other contacting member when the car is at the landing,means for moving one of said contacting members and thereby impartingmovement to the other when the car is at the landing, whereby said lightis made luminous simultaneously with the unlocking of the door.

9. In an elevator safety illuminating system, the combination With anelevator shaft door, an unlocking member thereon, a contacting member atthe landing and connections whereby said contacting member is moved bysaid unlocking member upon the opening of the door, of alighting circuitincluding a floor-light in the car, a contacting member carried by thecar and adapted to be moved by the aforesaid contacting member, andmechanical connections *Whereby the closing and opening of saidfloor-light circuit is effected through the movement of said car-carriedcontacting member.

10. In an elevator safety illuminating system, an elevator shaft door, alocking bolt at the landing for locking said door closed,

means for retracting said bolt to permit the GLENN S. WILLIAMSON.

Witnesses:

WM. F. PURCELL, FRANK S. HARTNETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

